Switchel, switzel, swizzle, switchy, ginger-water, or haymaker's punch (of uncertain etymology, but possibly related to "sweet"), is a drink made from water mixed with vinegar and often seasoned with ginger.

By the 19th century, it was a traditional drink served to thirsty farmers during hay harvests, earning it the nickname "haymaker’s punch.

"[3] In The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder describes a switchel-like beverage her mother sent for her and her father to drink while haying: "Ma had sent them ginger-water.

She had sweetened the cool well-water with sugar, flavored it with vinegar, and put in plenty of ginger to warm their stomachs so they could drink until they were not thirsty.

The Vermont physician D. C. Jarvis recommended a similar drink, a mixture of honey and cider vinegar, which he called "honegar.